TikTok Marketing Guide: How To Use TikTok To Grow A Business In 2022

What You'll Read Here

Officially launched in 2016 as a social app, TikTok quickly became one of the most favored social platforms for marketers. It’s a vast market for numerous businesses due to its high active user count.

And in fact, having a large number of active users is why TikTok marketing has been made possible. In this post, we will focus on marketing on TikTok. If you want to know how to use TikTok for business, continue reading this comprehensive guide to build and boost your business on TikTok.

TikTok: A Quick Look

TikTok is one of the most popular and fastest-growing social media platforms in the world. Also, during the past two years, it was one of the most downloaded apps. TikTok app enjoys higher popularity than well-established social media platforms like Twitter, Pinterest, Snapchat, and LinkedIn. Interestingly, TikTok experienced rapid growth over its competitors in a shorter period of time. It took Facebook four years to gain as many active users as TikTok, and for Instagram, it took six years. As of January of 2021, TikTok had more than 680 million users worldwide.

The TikTok app enables users to make and share short videos. Most video creators post entertaining and humorous videos that get a lot of views. Specifically, TikTok is a short-video sharing platform, and videos that do not surpass the length of 15 seconds usually do well.

Marketing on TikTok: Is It Worth It?

First, it is a big misconception that TikTok is purely for fun and has no relevance to businesses. In contrast, businesses are increasingly using TikTok to grow in the market. The fact is, many businesses already are using TikTok to help present their products in a different light, something that isn’t a photo or video. The main attraction of TikTok marketing is the number of active users on the platform.

TikTok Marketing: How to Use TikTok for Business

TikTok has proved to be a powerful tool for businesses, making selling everything from feta cheese to self-tanning lotion possible. But the main question is how to leverage the platform to raise brand awareness, gain more followers, and ultimately grow businesses.

For Marketing on Tiktok, Begin by Creating a Small business Account

If you have not yet set up a business account on Tiktok, you can do so easily. Here are the steps you need to take:

Download the TikTok app from the Apple App Store or Google Play store.
Then click “Sign Up” to create an account with your phone number, email address, or registered social media account.
Within the app, click on the top right of the “Me” page, then select “Manage account” and “Switch to Business Account.” Choose the category that best describes your business for customized content, events, and solutions.
Congratulations, your account is ready! You can start marketing on TikTok using creative tools and share information about your products and services.

Look Around to See How Other Similar Businesses Are Marketing on TikTok

Watch videos, follow accounts you like, and try creating your clips with music and filters. In short TikTok videos, let your viewers know what your business is about.

Introduce yourself, your team, and even your workplace.

Narrate how you interestingly started your business. Also, explain in detail how your product is made. Time-lapse videos are hugely popular on TikTok. Provide tutorial videos to inspire and attract viewers.

Rather than telling people how great your product or service is, ask some of your customers to share a few words about it on video.

Curate Your Posts for Tiktok Marketing.

To grow your business on TikTok, you need to create content that appeals to your target audience. To make sure your posts are engaging enough, follow the tips below:

You must be authentic. The more you reveal the true nature of your brand, the more users will feel connected to you, which will lead to better trust.
The two factors contributing to TikTok content going viral are pets and children. Due to the platform’s younger demographic, there is more interest in watching humorous and entertaining videos with children and animals. For instance, if you have a pet at your workplace, include it in your content.
Analyze what is already successful in TikTok marketing and put your spin on it. As a side note, tap the magnifying glass in the bottom menu to open the Discover page, where you can see the most popular trending videos and hashtags.
Use emojis and language that’s more playful.

To begin creating your first video, tap the black plus button at the bottom of your screen. The TikTok app will ask for permission to access your phone’s camera, photos, and microphone.

TikTok Marketing: How to create your first video — *Press the + button to start recording videos*

*Then, you will see the recording page with a red circle to start recording. Choose either the 15-second or 60-second option. Finally, start making your video!

OX754qJnSE1 ZqpynEvyRXvMIgUXPw6xxDv ee7Yg8JEgocGGW — *15 and 60-second video recording options.*

Use the Right Hashtags to Get Discovered

Use relevant and specific, and strategic hashtags with your video. Otherwise, users who click on it will be disappointed and will not return to your account again. See what hashtags your competitors use in their posts. Don’t use too many hashtags. Instead, create one or two great hashtags.

Simple, readable, and memorable hashtags are best. Don’t include special characters or punctuation in your hashtags, making them harder to remember. Create a hashtag for your business and encourage your customers to use it whenever they share something about your business on TikTok. You can also run a paid hashtag challenge.

Leverage TikTok’s Advertising

Now businesses can advertise on TikTok. That’s an excellent way for TikTok marketing. In-Feed Ads are the most cost-effective option for small and middle-sized businesses. According to the TikTok business model, the maximum budget at the campaign level (for in-feed ads) is $500, and the minimum cost for ad groups is $50.

After creating your TikTok ads account, select your region. You then answer a series of questions, providing your information. Then you receive a message confirming that TikTok will get back to you. If you meet TikTok’s requirements, one of their account agents will set up an account for you. You can also save TikTok ads for future reference or analysis. Businesses can download their ad data and use it to adjust their strategies and improve their overall marketing efforts on the platform.

Moreover, businesses can sponsor a specific hashtag challenge and advertise on the Discover page. It is also a great way to get more exposure to your brand and hashtags. You can sponsor a hashtag challenge and obtain a custom banner on the Discover page if you pay. When users tap on it, they are directed to videos your team has created explaining and demonstrating the challenge while promoting your brand.

For instance, Samsung used the Hashtag Challenge to boost UGC while advertising new features. When they launched their Galaxy A phones, they created the #GalaxyA campaign. Users were encouraged to use that hashtag when applying the features on their Galaxy A phone for TikTok.

Use Influencer-Created Content for TikTok Marketing

TikTok influencers have varying numbers of followers, thus varying degrees of influence. As a brand, you can reach out to relevant TikTok influencers and collaborate with them. However, it is crucial to choose your influencers carefully. If your brand sells beauty accessories, working with a video game influencer isn’t the best choice. Find influencers who work within your sector and whose personalities reflect the values of your brand.

Avoid Following a Boring TikTok Marketing Strategy

Do not forget this golden rule in Tiktok marketing: Entertain before you try to sell. TikTok is still an entertainment app. Accordingly, if your Tiktok marketing doesn’t appear entertaining to viewers, you will lose their attention.

Produce Relevant, Updated Content

TikTok trends change overnight; what is popular today might not be so tomorrow. You should create timely and relevant content as soon as trends become popular. The great thing about TikTok is that content doesn’t have to be polished or professionally shot. It needs to be just amusing or entertaining. Many brands create content on their mobile devices with minimal editing.

Also, try to have a content calendar for your TikTok marketing. TikTok rewards consistency.Rather than posting 3 times a day, feeling overwhelmed, and then not posting for months, start with 3-5 times a week and gradually increase.

For successful Tiktok marketing, it is also helpful to track analytics to see what resonates with Tiktok users and what doesn’t. To access Tiktok’s analytics, you have to create a Pro Account. It will give you insight into your top territories, when your audience is most active, and the best time to post to TikTok. For creating a Pro account, follow these steps:

Step 1: Click on the Privacy and Settings tab on the profile page.
Step 2: Tap ‘Join TikTok Testers’.
Step 3: Verify the application with the mobile phone number.
Step 4: Follow other directions to finish.

After activating your Pro account, there will be an Analytics button under the account option.

TikTok Marketing: How to Get a TikTok Pro Account — *Image Source: How to Get a TikTok Pro Account*

Closing Thoughts on TikTok Marketing (+A Note on TikTok Business Model)

You can use TikTok to boost and share information about your business. The most important point is that TikTok users like fun and creative videos. They like to see an engaging video about the product with some enjoyable music playing in the background. Therefore, apply your innovative thinking to TikTok marketing.

Thus, in the TikTok business model, small businesses can display their creative side, add humor to their posts, and pick music that resonates with their target audience. Keep in mind that TikTok marketing is about fun and creativity and not intense high-pressure sales. The TikTok community is growing daily, so don’t miss out on the chance to join your target audience and let them know your fun-loving side.

And make sure to check out more of our blogs: